Tell a friend about this book...

Although he faces responsibility bravely, thirteen-year-old Matt is more than a little apprehensive when his father leaves him alone to guard their new cabin in the wilderness. When a renegade white stranger steals his gun, Matt knows he has no way to shoot game or to protect himself. Only after meeting the proud, resourceful Indian boy Attean d... more »oes Matt begin to understand the way of the Beaver clan and their growing problem in adapting to the white man and the changing frontier.« less

Top Member Book Reviews

Wonderful book about a boy who is on his own in a cabin in the wilderness. He makes friends with a young indian boy. Great family read-aloud...even my husband is waiting to hear the next chapter every day! :)

When his father returns East to collect the rest of the family, 13-year-old Matt is left alone to guard his family's newly built homestead. One day, Matt is brutally stung when he robs a bee tree for honey. He returns to consciousness to discover that his many stings have been treated by an old Native American and his grandson. Matt offers his only book as thanks, but the old man instead asks Matt to teach his grandson Attean to read. Both boys are suspicious, but Attean comes each day for his lesson. In the mornings, Matt tries to entice Attean with tales from Robinson Crusoe, while in the afternoons, Attean teaches Matt about wilderness survival and Native American culture. The boys become friends in spite of themselves, and their inevitable parting is a moving tribute to the ability of shared experience to overcome prejudice

My daughter absolutely loved this book about a young boy who is left by his father in their wilderness log home in the Colonial times to fend for himself. He meets an Indian boy who shows him how to survive and their friendship flourishes. Your children will love this book.

Captivating story full of emotion and suspense as two young boys from different worlds come to learn and appreciate one another's ways. Wonderful inside look at the daily life of Native American Indians during the beginning of the Westward Expansion of the U.S.